Milwaukee Repertory Theater is kicking off its 2026/27 season with a stage production of “Footloose,” opening September 22, 2026 inside the Associated Bank Theater Center. The musical follows teen outsider Ren McCormick, who moves to a small town where dancing has been banned and finds romance while working to bring dancing back to the community. Director and choreographer Stephen Mear says he built the cast to look like the audience watching it, a deliberate departure from the mostly white ensemble of the film.
A Director Reworking a 1980s Classic
According to a CBS 58 interview, Mear intentionally assembled a diverse ensemble so audience members could see themselves reflected on stage, moving the production away from the film's largely white cast. As reported by WTMJ, lead actor Keyon Pickett plays Ren McCormick. The production is a musical.
Maddie Robert, who plays Ariel Moore, was part of the world premiere ensemble of “Dolly: A True Original Musical” at Belmont University's Fisher Center in Nashville during summer 2025, according to DKC/O&M.
First Time in the Director's Chair, Not the Rep
Mear previously choreographed three major Rep mainstage musicals — “Ragtime,” “Dreamgirls,” and “Guys and Dolls” — and directs and choreographs this production, according to Urban Milwaukee. The stage adaptation itself was written by original 1984 screenwriter Dean Pitchford alongside director Walter Bobbie, with music by Tom Snow, lyrics by Pitchford, and hit songs by Kenny Loggins, Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, and Jim Steinman, Milwaukee Rep notes. Per WTMJ, the score includes 1980s staples like “Let's Hear It for the Boy” and “Holding Out for a Hero.”
Musical direction falls to Dan Kazemi, who has led music for more than 30 Milwaukee Rep productions and is working alongside scenic designer Todd Ivins and costume designer Raquel Adorno, Urban Milwaukee reports. Ahead of opening night, the theater released rehearsal videos showing Pickett singing “I Can't Stand Still” with Kazemi and dueting on “Almost Paradise” with Robert, according to Broadway World.
A New Home for Milwaukee Rep
The production lands inside a completely overhauled venue. Milwaukee Rep has finished an $80 million renovation, according to WTMJ, an expansion of the company's historic 1898 power station complex that reopened its main stage in October 2025 and unveiled its renovated studio theater in February 2026, as detailed by Architectural Record. The overhaul was designed by architecture firm EUA and built by Hunzinger Construction.
“Footloose” runs from September 22 through November 1 in the Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater, part of a 2026/27 season featuring 13 total productions across three performance spaces, per Milwaukee Rep. The season spans the Checota Powerhouse Theater, the Herro-Franke Studio Theater, and the Stackner Cabaret.
Milwaukee Rep remains a major economic presence downtown. With its rebuilt home and expanded season now in place, “Footloose” is part of the Rep's 2026/27 season.
